The Blues still have a chance to finish in The Top 4. They are lying in 10th place with 41 points and are just 10 behind Manchester City (4th position). So, Chelsea’s only aim for the remainder of the season will be to win their matches.

All Aston Villa’s players look like they have lost the belief in their own abilities. The Villains have lost 6 consecutive matches. They have failed to score in 4 of these games and have conceded 18 goals. Aston Villa lost their last match to Swansea City, which was crucial for the relegation battle in The Premier League. The only goal of the game was due to 3 errors in the Lions defence. Joleon Lescott covered the offside, then Hutton left his man unmarked and Brad Guzan wasn’t persuasive when he jumped for the ball. This situation led to Swansea’s goal against Aston Villa.

Chelsea must take advantage of the weak Aston Villa form. In addition, The Blues have won 3 matches in a row against The Villains. Chelsea have recorded only 19 victories of 70 matches against The Villains at Villa Park.

Team News

Diego Costa is sidelined, because he was sent off against Everton in The FA Cup. This’ll be the last match of the Spaniard’s suspension.

Eden Hazard has received a thigh muscle strain. The Belgian international has recorded 26 matches in The Premier League this season.

It’s high time Alexandre Pato made his debut for Chelsea. The Brazilian was left on the bench on 3 occasions in The Premier League, but he is now expected to take part in the upcoming match.

Jack Grealish, Jordan Amavi and Kozak are injured and won’t take part in the match against Chelsea. Grealish is suffering from an ankle injury.

Quotes of the week

Remi Garde (Aston Villa) :“We deserved more, the difference between the two sides today was not as big as when you see the league table, that is why it is frustrating.”

Guus Hiddink (Chelsea) :“First of all we want to get the maximum out of the team regarding the league table, to get the best position possible.”